Cars have long been a familiar means of transportation for each of us. But it’s hard to imagine how many stages the car went through before becoming an everyday transport. And her story is really very long and begins long before the invention of the prototype of a modern car.
How did it all start?
Of course, it is now extremely difficult to restore the history of the invention and understand which car is the very first. Perhaps so far there are hidden facts for us that will move the date of the first attempts even further. But while historians recall the year 1672.
It was then that a toy was developed, which is often compared with a car. Ferdinand Verbist invented the prototype of a machine for the Chinese emperor. But since it was just an idea, it was implemented in a toy model.
Such a “car” was more like a cart that could move by refueling coal. However, she could go more than an hour. Then Verbist introduced the concept of “motor”, which turned out to be closest to its modern meaning.
Attempts in Russia
In Russia, they also tried to invent the very first car, so in 1752 Mikhail Lomonosov was introduced the prototype of the first car. He was engaged in the usual peasant Leonty Shamshurenkov.
The inventor brought to St. Petersburg a four-wheeled independent carriage, which had a pedal drive. He proved that his transport can move at a speed of 15 km / h. Leonty showed Lomonosov the first prototype of a verstometer, which showed the distance traveled by a car.
After 30 years, attempts to get closer to a modern car continued in Russia. In the early 1780s, Ivan Kulibin worked on a modification of the carriage, where he was going to add pedals. Already in 1791, he managed to introduce a three-wheeled crew, which moved at a speed of 16.2 km / h. This invention introduced people to the gearbox, flywheel and rolling bearings.
Since no one supported such inventions in the state, many stopped working on them.
German auto industry
What is the very first car in the world? It will not be possible to answer this question precisely, but it is known that Karl Benz was the most influential person in the nascent "automobile industry" of Germany. It is thanks to this German engineer that many modern automotive technologies became known.
Nikolaus Otto was the first to introduce a four-stroke gasoline internal combustion engine. Rudolph Diesel also worked on it. Interestingly, the German Christian Friedrich also worked on the fuel itself, which replaced gasoline with a hydrogen fuel cell.
For a couple
One of the first prototypes of modern models were steam cars. It all began, as previously mentioned, with Ferdinand Verbista and his toys for the Chinese emperor. Such a car was extremely impractical, since neither the driver nor the passenger could use it. But often it is he who is called the very first car, the photo of which was not preserved, but there is only an engraving.
But many people liked the idea of steam transport and began to develop in the XVIII century. Kunho invented an experimental artillery tractor, but not everyone liked this option.
In the UK, they also tried to engage in the auto industry, so in 1784 William Murdoch's steam carriage became known. Richard Trevitik apparently decided to move the steam locomotive to the roads, so in 1801 he introduced the “Puffing Devil” - a road locomotive. All this helped the inventors to create a manual brake, transmission, steering.
Such a rapid development of transport in the UK frightened ordinary residents and the authorities proposed to introduce a law that required an assistant on the road. Such a person had to go in front of the car, wave a red flag and give signals so that pedestrians immediately understand the approach of a car. All this reduced the interest of inventors in this area. Many went to work on railway locomotives.
Meanwhile, the United States also worried about creating the very first car. Here, Oliver Evans introduced the first car in America, which was also an amphibious car. The invention allowed passengers to travel on land and on water.
Using electricity
A little later, the very first cars on electricity began to appear. The first in this business was the Hungarian Yedlik Agnosh, who in 1828 introduced the world to an electric motor. To show his work, the engineer had to create a small machine as a prototype.
So, at first, inventors around the world showed only miniature models of cars, but already in 1838, Robert Davidson introduced an electric locomotive. After 2 years, it was decided to patent the rail tracks, which turned out to be a conductor of electric current.
Fuel use
It is not surprising that inventors around the world tried to find the ideal transport option that would not require large reserves of coal or rails. So engineers thought of an internal combustion engine. The problem arose only with the use of suitable fuel, which would replace the gas mixture.
A lot of inventors experimented with different fuels and using technologies, but the very first gasoline-powered car in the world was introduced by Karl Benz. So the Benz Patent-Motorwagen model became known. The prototype was so successful that the engineer began producing cars in 1886.
It is now difficult to say whether Benz was an inspiration for someone, but already in 1889 Daimler and Maybach developed a completely new invention, which no longer looked like a horse-drawn cart. Around the same time, engineers worked on the world's first Daimler Petroleum Reitwagen motorcycle.
Many discoveries and enthusiasts have been forgotten. There is evidence that the first four-wheeled car in Britain appeared in 1895. He worked on gasoline and thanks to Frederick Lanchester, who incidentally patented the disc brake.
Benz Patent-Motorwagen
This model, perhaps, can be called the very first car in the world, the photo of which is presented below. In fact, it was the first transport with an internal combustion engine, the father of which was Karl Benz. Its feature is that it became the first commercially available vehicle.
Now it has a lot in common with modern prototypes. For example, it also had a chassis, gasoline engine, electric ignition, carburetor, cooling system, brake mechanism and transmission.
There is information that Karl Benz faced a number of problems that did not allow him to bring the matter to its logical conclusion. He could not solve the issue with steering, so he developed a three-wheeled model.
But just five years later, he managed to find or spy a solution. So the world became known for Benz Victoria - a car with four wheels and a carriage type. It just replaced the previous model, became commercially successful and was produced for 7 years.
Production launch
Before the creation of the very first brand of car there was not much left. When the engineers finally decided on the best transportation option, they threw all their forces into mass production.
The first in this area was again Karl Benz in 1888. At the same time, Rudolf Egg was involved in the production of tricycles. Mass production was launched in the USA and France.
The first on the path of the auto industry were the French. They founded the company Panar and Levassor in 1889, which was engaged in the production of cars. Two years later, the world heard about the Peugeot.
The beginning of the 20th century for Europe turned into the active development of the automotive industry. But until 1903, France was the leader. In the USA, there were heroes. In 1893, the Duryea Motor Wagon Company appeared. Behind them, the Olds Motor Vehicle Company became active. By 1902, Cadillac, Winton and Ford were becoming popular.
Despite the fact that the world's automobile production grew exponentially, in fact, everything came to the conclusion that the car was luxury goods and a novelty of fashion. While she could not yet become a useful invention. This was due to the fact that the cost of cars was extremely high, and breakdowns were very common. And the fuel was not so easy to get.
On the way to modernity
Cars have come a long way to becoming what we see them today. It was necessary to conduct a series of experiments, after plunging into the vintage and survive the pre-war era.
The World War II had a great influence on the auto industry. The world saw a pontoon type body, which lost protruding wings, huge headlights and steps. The very first car in the world to be produced in large series was the Soviet GAZ-M-20 Pobeda.
After that, engineers stopped working on fanciful forms and special needs. They delved into the development of more powerful engines and increased speeds.